Deputy editor

An assault victim has lost a bid for taxpayer-funded compensation so she could receive “spiritual healing" in Canada, capping off a three-year legal wrangle.

The Queensland government had previously been ordered to foot the bill, which included more than $20,000 for the treatment program and airfares for the woman, who also planned to take a companion.

Victims Assist Queensland – a taxpayer-funded compensation scheme for victims of crime who receive up to $75,000 – filed an appeal and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie supported the legal action.

In a decision published late Wednesday, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal endorsed Victims Assist Queensland's decision to knock back the claim.

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The application for compensation was triggered by a 2007 assault on the woman when she was enlisted by an Aboriginal clan to negotiate a native title compensation claim.

She suffered “emotional and physical trauma and has been undergoing therapy with mental health practitioners since that time" of the assault by an indigenous woman.

“It is not disputed that BN's [whose name cannot be published for legal reasons] suffers from post traumatic stress disorder," according to QCAT.

The victim argued there were “exceptional circumstances" in her case.

She said mainstream treatment had failed and she needed therapy under a program designed for indigenous Canadians with whom she identified.

Cree Nations Treatment Haven offered the 35-day treatment at a cost of $4000.

“Her evidence was that because of her anxiety she would require three stopovers on the way. She also did not want to fly through Asian or American airports as she found them stressful," the tribunal document states.

A quote for the woman and her escort to travel to Canada with three stopovers was $15,658.

The tribunal accepted there was a “strong possibility" that the woman's inability to recover with mainstream therapy was because she had suffered “one assault too many".

She had therapy in Cairns, far north Queensland, more than 20 years ago for “significant psychological trauma" caused by a motor vehicle accident.

She was sexually assaulted in 1995, receiving criminal compensation and using mainstream psychological treatment to assist with her recovery.

In 2005, she suffered “unwanted male attention".

“She went to Canada and obtained treatment at Cree Nations for what she describes as 'woman's issues," according to tribunal documents.

“She says at this time she had not been diagnosed with any serious anxiety or stress disorder and was able to return to Australia and continue with study and work."

She was assaulted by an indigenous woman in 2007 and in May 2010, she applied for assistance from Victims Assist Queensland.

“[It included] a claim for expenses due to 'exceptional circumstances' for the cost for herself and her companion to travel to Canada to enable her 'to see family and spend time with counselling and getting strong support and distancing myself from Australia, as reminders of assault and threats sometimes often felt like living in nightmares'," the tribunal documents states.

QCAT initially ruled the compensation should be paid but Victims Assist Queensland appealed the decision, receiving backing for the challenge from the Attorney-General.

The tribunal reviewed the decision and endorsed Victims Assist Queensland's refusal to fund the “spiritual healing" on several grounds including “the evidence falls short of satisfying us that it will significantly assist her to recover".

Mr Bleijie welcomed the tribunal's decision.

“I absolutely respect and understand the benefits of rehabilitation for victims of crime but it was inconceivable that treatment couldn't be found here in Queensland," he said.